To answer what AI is, it’s critical to state what it isn’t. These aren’t machines that are learning independently, discovering emotion and plotting your downfall. Instead, they are complex algorithms that process large amounts of data using a set of defined rules. They may act or respond like a human, but they’re not. In fact, many scientists believe they’ll never gain that level of consciousness. Through different types of machine learning, AI can offer solutions, answer questions or make suggestions on various levels of complexity.

For some time, AI has been helping to personalise your phone and improve your user experience. Have you ever spoken to your phone to ask for the weather tomorrow at 7am or to open your calendar? That’s AI at work. In fact, Google has created an entirely new way to quickly find exactly what you’re looking for with its Circle to Search feature, available on select Android devices. But it goes further. Standard features like facial recognition, camera functionality (hello Portrait Mode), personalised recommendations or even searching for “cat” in your photos and your device correctly identifying your fluffy friend – that’s all AI. It’s making our smartphones even smarter.